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After you’ve identified promising problems and roles, it’s time to think about where you can do your best. Research shows that those who are most successful in their fields account for a significant portion of the progress that is made. The benefit of different people’s efforts can vary tenfold, sometimes even a hundredfold. How good you are at your profession can therefore be one of the most decisive factors in how much of a difference you make. What if Alan Turing had become a literary critic instead of a mathematician? Then he would probably have had significantly less influence on the world. This means that it is important to try to find out in which areas you could become a leader.
How well you fit a certain career is likely a multiplier for your impact, something like this:
If you are particularly good in a certain profession, it can therefore be a good option, even if the average person has a lower impact. Similarly, you shouldn’t choose roles that look promising on paper but don’t suit you. When evaluating this, you should think long-term because you are often at the top of your career later in life. This is when you have the most money, responsibility and influence. What could you be really good at in a few years, or decades?